Technical Field
The technical field relates generally to monitoring usage of utilities and, more particularly, to methods and systems for identifying opportunities to save costs associated with utility usage.
Background Discussion
Public utility companies offer utility service to consumers according to terms specified by government-approved tariffs. The characteristics of particular tariffs vary by utility company, but most specify characteristics of the utility service offered and a price for consuming the utility service. The price charged for consumption of a utility under one or more tariffs can vary based on a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the location to which the utility is delivered, the amount of the utility consumed, the characteristics of the utility, and the service level with which the utility is delivered. Service levels are often targeted to specific types of consumers, for example, residential, commercial or industrial consumers.
Tariffs are often structured to promote usage policy objectives, such as decreasing the overall cost of providing utility service to all consumers. For instance, to smooth demand for a utility, a utility company may structure its tariffs to offer service at relatively higher prices during periods of high demand and to offer service at relatively lower prices during periods of low demand. Similarly, a utility company may structure its tariffs such that the price for using a utility increases as a consumer's usage transgresses a series of thresholds. This tiered pricing approach discourages large scale consumption of the utility at any time.
Utility billing systems track utility consumption and issue invoices to consumers based on the tariffs that apply to the consumer's usage pattern. The consumption information processed by these billing systems may come from various sources. For example, field personnel may periodically take meter readings that measure the amount of the utility consumed and report the readings to data entry personnel who enter the meter readings into the billing system. Alternatively, electronic meters may periodically transmit meter readings to a consolidator that automatically enters the meter readings into the billing system.